Operation K

Operation K
	Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
	; Approximate route of Operation K.
Date	4 March 1942
Location	Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands; French Frigate Shoals; Oahu
Result	Inconclusive
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
None	Hisao Hashizume
Strength
None	2 Kawanishi H8Ks; 3 submarines
Casualties and losses
Minimal private property damage	Loss of submarine I-23

Operation K (K作戦, Kē-Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation in World War II, intended as reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor and disruption of repair and salvage operations following the surprise attack on 7 December 1941. It culminated on 4 March 1942, with an unsuccessful attack carried out by two Kawanishi H8K "Emily" flying boats. This was the longest distance ever undertaken by a two-plane bombing mission, and one of the longest bombing sorties ever planned without fighter escort.^[1]^[2]

^ Budnick, p. 95
^ "Japan's little-known 2nd surprise attack on Hawaii failed in more ways than one". Stars_and_Stripes. 28 February 2018.

[Budnick-1] Budnick, p. 95

[2] "Japan's little-known 2nd surprise attack on Hawaii failed in more ways than one". Stars_and_Stripes. 28 February 2018.

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